Today, we begin Pantry Cooking Month, something we do when there’s either too much food in the house (that’s the case right now) or too little money in the bank (thankfully not a problem at the moment, but we’ve all been there).
The rules, which are not set in stone:
- Buy no groceries unless it’s fresh produce (our weekly produce box, customizable on Thursdays, delivered on Wednesdays)
- If something else runs out, James can buy it for himself. He is less enthused about strict rules, so we usually do it this way. That way, we mostly stick to my “game” but he doesn’t feel hampered by it if there’s something he really wants.
- My budget software keeps track of how much I spend on groceries (which includes incidentals that come with the groceries, like aluminum foil and toothpaste). I am embarrassed to say how much I spend on groceries in December, but at the end of January, I’ll post both months’ numbers for comparison. Yikes.
Menu, Day 1
Breakfast:
- Instant grits (don’t judge)
Lunch:
- Potato soup made with leftover Giftmas ham
- James’s excellent sourdough bread (he even made the scratch from scratch! His pet sourdough starter is named Skippy) with butter
Dinner:
- Golden potatoes, baked, chilled, then roasted in the air-fryer
- Packets of prepared curry
What we have to work with:
[Image description: Weekly planner with columns taken up with lists of foods instead of daily plans. Lists are as follows:
Protein:
- Ham
- Pork
- Chicken breast
- Field roast loaf
- Eggs
- Beans*
- Tuna
- Kippers
- Sardines
- Steak
- Lunchmeat
- Red bean paste
- Potstickers
- Chicken thighs
- Bratwurst
- Pecans
- Cod
- Bacon bits
- Pea protein [Note: I forgot to mention gluten]
Starch
- Grits
- Oats
- Pasta
- Ramen
- Buckwheat
- Corn
- Peas
- Flours
- Dried potatoes
- Rice
- Cornflakes
- Special K
- McD soup
- Bread crumbs
- Puff pastry
- Tortellini (frozen)
- Tapioca balls
- Starches (corn, potato, tapioca, etc.)
- Couscous
- Corn tortillas
- Masa
Fresh Veg
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Romaine
- Tomatoes
- Apple
- Celery
- Alfalfa
- Zucchini
Canned Veg
- Tomatoes
- Pumpkin
- Chipotles
- Green chilis [sic]
- 4-bean salad
- Hearts of palm
- V8
Frozen Veg
- Stir-fry
- Greens
- Kale
- Okra
- Spinach
- Onions
- Garlic
- Peppers
- Ginger
- Blueberries
Dried Veg
- Celery flakes
- Carrots
- Mushrooms [note: chantarelles, porcini, shiitake, mushroom powder]
- Soup mix
- Tomato
- Tomato powder
- Peppers
- Prunes
- Raisins
- Onions
- Peas
Dairy
- Buttermilk
- Moos
- Almond milk
- Sliced cheese
- Parmesan
- Evaporated milk
- Condensed milk
- Powdered milk
- Powdered buttermilk
Fats
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Canola oil
- Peanut oil
- Sesame oil
- Coconut milk
- Tahini
Other
- Pork stock
- Indian food packets
- Spices
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Veg stock
- Condiments
- Coffee/tea
- Cocoa
- Enchilada sauce
- Chicken stock
- Nori
- Hershey’s syrup
*Beans
- Garbanzo
- Red lentil
- Green lentil
- Kidney
- Green split pea
- Garbanzo flour
- Black
- Mung
- Baked beans
- Black lentils